Question:
I have a question about a game yesterday that I was an AR of a U14 Boys Select game. This was the second game of a double header between the same 2 teams. I was the referee for the first game. During the second game, a player for “blue” tried a slide tackle from behind and completely missed the ball and the player. The “white” player kept the ball and was moving up the field. Seconds later, the same “blue” player tried another tackle from behind, and caught the cleat of the “white” player causing him to twist and then fall. He came nowhere near the ball. The ball was within playing distance of the “white” player. The “white” player remained on the ground and had to be helped off the field a minute or two later. In my opinion, this was definitely reckless and probably endangered the safety of his opponent. The referee gave him a yellow card. As the referee was writing in his book, I observed the cautioned “blue” player exchanging a “high five” with a teammate behind the referee’s back. I informed the referee and it was decided to require this “blue” player to have a substitute replace him. He returned to the game later on. My opinion was that the “blue” player targeted the “white” player purposely. Afterwards, I thought about what I would have done in this situation. In this case, there were no more issues in the game related to this player, but I think that he should have been shown the red card and sent off because the “high five” indicates to me that he was trying to take the player out on purpose.

So here is my question, if I did decide that he should be sent off, what would be the best procedure to follow? Note that play has not restarted. Here are two thoughts that I have:

A. Change the yellow card (for unsporting behavior) to a red card (for serious foul play).

B. Leave the caution and give him a second caution for unsporting behavior (celebrating after injuring an opponent) and then sending him off.

I was leaning toward option A, but maybe there is something else that I am not thinking of. In either case, I believe a caution would be warranted to the other “blue” player for unsporting behavior.

USSF answer (May 6, 2008):
As we are answering as if you were the referee, it makes our task easier.

If you believe that the tackle by the blue player placed the white player in danger, the answer is clear. According to Law 12, International Board Decision 4, “A tackle, which endangers the safety of an opponent, must be sanctioned as serious foul play.”

Any subsequent misconduct, such as the high-fiving with the player’s blue teammate, would be included in the match report.

We also believe that the second blue player should be cautioned for unsporting behavior and shown the yellow card.

The restart would be for the original foul (and misconduct) on the white player.…

Question:
I have a reocurring issue that seems to occur at almost all youth levels of play, regardless of skill.  Player A & B go for a 50/50 ball, and through no fault of his/her own and no foul being committed, player A falls down over or near the ball. Player C (Player B’s team mate) comes in and strikes at the ball, endangering the safety of player A.

My call is player C is guilty of dangerous play and I award a IFK for player A’s team as my logic is player A did not intend to fall down or be in that position, it was Player C who made the decision to play dangerously.

Is this the correct call?  Please respond…my informal poll of peers seems to be split down the middle.

USSF answer (May 6, 2008):
Aside from recognizing that any issue involving a “dangerous play” foul requires us to take into account the age and skill level of the player, referees who observe what might seem to be dangerous play in the context of Law 12 must wait a moment to see what happens. 

If the player on the ground makes little or no attempt to get up or otherwise to stop “covering” the ball and, as a result, an opponent is prevented from challenging for the ball (in order not to cause danger to himself or the player on the ground), then definitely the player on the ground has committed an indirect free kick foul that we term “dangerous play.”

If the player is making every effort to extricate himself from the immediate area of the ball but a player on the opposing team challenges immediately and actively for the ball without making contact with the player on the ground, then it is the player on the opposing team who has committed the “dangerous play” infraction.

If, however, the opponent comes in without giving the player on the ground any opportunity to extricate himself, challenges for the ball, and in the process makes contact with the player on the ground, the opponent is not only guilty of a more serious foul (kicking — direct free kick or penalty kick) but could also be cautioned or even sent off depending on how violent the contact was.…